I'm not sure if this is different at other locations, but this past week my BPL location "merged" with KEDPLASMA. Now they only allow a very strict # of people inside the building and force everyone else to stand outside, in the blazing heat of Florida.

This is a popular location near a large university and the lines can be as long as 20 to 25 people from an hour after opening to when they close! The nurses don't keep track of how many people have left because they are all gossiping and then only let in 5 people every 45 minutes or so (they used to have a local cop handle this but KEDPLASMA didn't want to pay for their services). So after waiting for 90 minutes to get inside, I have less than 15-20 minutes before my vitals are going to get tested. Now I have to sit down and rest and waste more time, this time inside, when just a week ago I could have been waiting inside the entire time instead. The management does not care about this one bit either, simply stating that I should have come earlier. Do they not realize Florida is hot and humid even at 9am during the summer months?

I went to the management and they told me this is because of a 'fire code', but why was this suddenly sprung on us? Why was there absolutely zero warning? I think it is more likely this is KEDPLASMA corporate policy as this was never an issue before in the nearly 18 years I've donated at this location as they let people wait inside. Keep in mind at my location, KEDPLASMA reduced our pay by quite a bit; $5 off for every donation and then our 8th time bonus has been slashed from 75 to 35.

Although this BPL location was quite close to me and they paid quite well compared to other centers nearby, I am going to have to swap to CSL or Octo instead. I'm not as young as I used to be, standing outdoors in subtropical heat for at least an hour is going to drench my clothes in sweat and ruin my chances of passing my vitals check. My only other option is getting there right when they open at 6am, before the sun has risen, but that isn't always an option.